Herald - Issue 422

Page 22 • The HERALD • 21st April 2022 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v PVCu FASCIAS & GUTTERING CLEANING SERVICE Gutters checked for leaks and repaired Also new installations Driveway, Patio and Decking Cleaning and Restoration Service Very reliable and fully insured Good Rates and Professional Service Special Rates for OAP’s Call us now for a free quote Holbury 07884 112416 M. C. HALL LTD 4 Carpentry 4 Fencing 4 Decoration 4 Extensions 4 Kitchens 4 Loft Conversions 4 Bathrooms 4 New Build First Rate Building & Carpentry Work Start to Finish Service • References Available • Fully Insured • 1 year guarantee Free Quotations and Friendly Advice Given Contact mchall126@btinternet.com or call 023 8089 8456 or 07976 937941 Website: www.mchallltd.co.uk PC PAINTING & DECORATING SERVICES Interior/Exterior Painting Decorating & Small Home Improvements Paul 07783 405977 Free Estimates ~ Fully Insured 30 years experience pcdecor8@gmail.com The New Forest’s Secret Underground Army and Their Hidden Bunkers by local history enthusiast Marc Heighway However, they were so well disguised and hidden, and many of the men never confessed to this secret work, that it’s very hard to pinpoint exact locations. In recent years some have been discovered in neighbouring counties. I’ve included a couple of photos of those. I’m aware of rough locations for the local bunkers, but so far have not been able to nd the exact spots. If I do, or anyone else does, you will be sure to read about it in e Herald. If you are interested in local wartime history, I am putting on an exhibition in June about Beaulieu Airfield. You can find details on rafbeaulieu.co.uk You can also contact me on mheighway@hotmail. com sworn to secrecy and could not even tell their own family about their role. ey had to dig and build their underground bases deep in local woods. Locally there were 4 units, each consisting of 8 men. e local units were Brockenhurst, Cadnam, Fritham, and Lyndhurst. ey were so secret that neither unit would know about the other, despite their proximity to each other. If an invasion had come, the Auxiliary Units would have disappeared to their underground bunkers. ey would then become a resistance movement, only coming out a er dark to destroy strategic targets. ey would also be tasked with assassinating high ranking German o cers and even British collaborators. ankfully this never happened and it’s only in recent years that a lot of this has come to light. e men had signed the O cial Secrets Act. Some of them took this so seriously, they ended up taking their secrets to the grave. However, there are some local accounts we can draw upon. One memory describes how the Brockenhurst unit started to build their underground bunker in local woods. A short while later, the regular army started using the same area for training. Rather than risk being discovered, the unit lled the bunker in and moved to a new location. In ‘Keeping the Forest’ by Jo Ivey, local forest keeper Jack Humby described his time serving in a secret local Auxiliary Unit. “They taught us how to use high explosives and firearms if the Germans did invade. They buried buildings in the forest for us to use as hideaways. Some were made of concrete. Others were caravans and even sheds. If we were invaded, we were to do anything to cause trouble. Disrupt their telephones, destroy their ammunition dumps, petrol dumps, that sort of thing.” As we know, the Units were never called upon to act. Once the war was over, many of the secret underground bunkers were destroyed. But not all. You’re probably thinking are there any le in the New Forest? e answer is, yes, perhaps. It’s very possible that some of these bunkers still do exist, just waiting to be found. During the rst half of the Second World War, the threat of invasion was very real. As a result, Britain embarked on a program of defence building which included concrete pillboxes, some of which remain in New Forest villages. e government also created the Local Defence Volunteers which eventually became the Home Guard. ere was no guarantee that this would prevent our shores being breached. Churchill knew this, so decided to create a network of hidden bunkers manned by a secret army which to this day remains clouded in mystery. e secret army was divided into local patrols known as Auxiliary Units. e men were to act as an underground resistance network should Britain be invaded. ey were trained in guerrilla warfare and built underground bunkers from which to operate from. Men recruited from the New Forest area tended to be those familiar with the land. is included professions such as foresters and game keepers. e men were Examples of secret bunkers elsewhere in the country Fawley Armed Forces Day is Back! After a 2-year hiatus Fawley Armed Forces Day is back and hopefully bigger than ever, but they need your help! ey are looking for military vehicles and stall holders to attend on the day. e event this year will be held on Saturday 18th June , 11am-4pm at Gang Warily Recreation & Community Centre. With attendance reaching to nearly 3,000 in 2019! they have all sorts going on: Live music, Fun Fair, Stallholders, Military Vehicles, Displays and so much more! If you have a military vehicle and would like to show it at their event or you are interested in having a stall on the day, please contact Operations Manager, Kathryn Ashdown on: 023 8089 3603 or email your request with subject heading AFD 2022 to: operations@fawley-pc. gov.uk